Assembling, Sodium Bonding, and Bond Testing of EBR-II Fuel Rods

Processing of the EBR-II fuel rods has led to the development of sodium loading, welding, weld inspection, bonding, and bond inspection techniques. Devices such as capacitance discharge welder, pressure type leak detector, impact bonder, and nondestructive eddy current circuitry have been employed. These techniques have been utilized during the manufacturing of the first core loading or have been developed from the experience gained on that production run. The design of the remotely operated fuel reprocessing machinery for the Fuel Cycle Facility in Idaho has been based on these experiences.